Derek Culver
A wild card in the recruitment of a center for the future is Derek Culver. He is a 6-foot-8, 200-pound big man out of Warren, Ohio.
The recruitment of Culver has been relatively quiet. He hasn’t really come out with a top list yet, but Scout has Illinois as one of the top seven teams.
Illinois Fighting Illini
The one big, or little, worry I have about Culver is his size. He is only 6-foot-8, but his athletic ability will make up for his height.
Culver is rated as a 4-star recruit that is the 38th best player in the class of 2017 and the 11th best center in the nation.
This would be a great get for the Illini. I know he is slightly undersized, but having another big body underneath will be huge.
Culver would be a nice counterpart to Leron Black. They would be the bash brothers in the paint and a duo that would be feared by many people in the Big Ten.
I think Culver is one of the most underrated recruits in the class of 2017. I can’t give you an exact quote on his wingspan, but it enables him to play bigger than his frame shows.
Culver is also a good rebounder and he has good post defense. This is a needed attribute on the Illinois basketball team.
The energy that Culver would bring to the Illini would make them instant contenders in the Big Ten.
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